Plier wrench



March 26, 1946.- M EMMETT 2,397,095

PLIER WRENCH Filed Oct. 29, 1942 INVENTOR: 8 Milieu WE'r/zmeit,

BY 44W A TTORIVEX sides I2 of said shank 6.

Patented Mar. 26, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,397,095 PLIER WRENCH Milton W. Emmett, Los Angeles, Calif. Application October 29, 1942 Serial No. 463,786

(Cl. 81-86)v 5 Claims.

This invention relates to pliers and wrenches and the general object of the invention is to provide an improved plier and wrench with means for automatically locking its jaws upon the work to which said jaws are applied and with means whereby said jaws may be readily moved apart to Other objects and advantages will appear here-' inafter.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawin which forms a part of this specification and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side view of my plier and wrench, partly broken away to show certain features of construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of my plier and wrench.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of my plier and wrench taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig, 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2, showing one side of the shank of the movable jaw and one side of the guideway of my plier and wrench in Which guideway said shank is slidably mounted.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan View of the guide-- way for the shank of the movable jaw.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary inner edge view of the shank of the movable jaw.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals in all of the figures, my plier and wrenchincludes a body I, a pair of jaws 2 and 3, which jaw 2 is integral with said body, a pair of plier handles 4 and 5, which handle 4 is integral with said body I, a shank 6 extending from jaw 3 and slidably mounted in a guideway I in said body I, a rack 8 along the inner edge of said shank, a gear 9 of magnetic material in mesh with said rack, turnably mounted on a shaft l secured in said body I, on which shaft the inner end of the handle is fulcrumed, and a lock II mounted in said handle 5 for engaging the teeth of said gear 9 and locking said handle to said gear.

The sides I2 of the shank 6 of jaw 3 are beveled, diverging inwardly, and are slidably fitted to the inner sides I3 of the guideway I, which inner sides are beveled correspondingly to the beveled The sides I2 of the shank 6 are knurled, as indicated at I4, in Fig. 4,

and the inner sides I3 of the guideway I are knurled, as indicated at I5 in said figure, so that the sides I2 of said shank may effectively bind against the inner sides I 3 of said guideway, in the manner and for the purpose hereinafter more fully described. The gripping edges I6 and Il respectively, of the jaws 2 and 3 extend longitudinally of my plier and wrench, while the shank 6 of jaw 3 and the shank guideway I extend at an obtuse angle of substantially ninety-five degrees to said gripping edges of said jaws forwardly of the gripping face of the movable jaw, i. e. to the right in Fig. 1 to facilitate a wedging action between the sides I2 of the shank 6 of jaw 3 and the inner sides I3 of the guideway I, in the manner hereinafter more fully described.

The body I is formed with a slot I8 to receive the gear 9, in mesh with the rack 8, and the inner end portion I9 of the handle 5, which inner end portion of said handle is forked, and its fork members 29 straddle said gear 9, with the shaft I9 extending freely through openings 2I in the inner ends of said fork members, whereby the inner end of the handle 5 is fulcrumed on said shaft, the fork members 29 fitting closely, but freely between the sides of the gear 9 and the sides of the slot' I8 so that the inner forked end portion I9 of the handle 5 may be swung freely between said gear and the sides of said slot. The

ends of the shaft ID are secured in the walls 22.

of the body I at the sides of the body. v

In the handle 5 is mounted the lock I I for looking said handle to the gear 9, so that said gear will be turned, upon swinging said handle on its fulcrum I 9, whereby said gear, in mesh with rack 8, may move the jaw 3 toward or away from the jaw 2. The lock II comprises a plunger 23, slidably mounted in a bore 24 in the handle 5, a toothed latch '25 on the inner end of said plunger, and a spring 26 for normally thrusting said plunger forwardly and said toothed latch into mesh with the teeth 21 of the gear 9, the teeth 28 of said latch corresponding to the teeth 21 of said gear. The plunger 23 is formed with a reduced shank 29 extending rearwardly through the bore 24 and out of the handle through a short reduced bore 30 in said handle at the rear end of the bore 24. The spring 26 surrounds the plunger shank 29 in the bore 24 and bears at its rear end against the rear end of the plunger bore 24 and at its forward end against the rear end of the plunger 23. The latch 25 is a permanent magnet which will draw itself into mesh with the teeth of the gear 9 and lock saidgear to the slot I8 in said handle 5, irrespective of the action of the spring 26, thus ensuring engagement of said latch with the teeth of said gear in the event of failure of said spring. A pin 3| extends laterally from one fulcrum away from the handle 4, whereupon the gear 9 is turned counterclockwise (Fig. i) so that said gear, in mesh withtlrerack 8, will enable said engaging edges to bind with greater friction to prevent opening of the jaws 2 and 3.

I claim: I w 7 1. A plier wrench compr' ing a body formed with a fixed jaw, a guideway and a fixed handle, a movable jaw formed with a shank slidably mounted in said guideway, so that said movable jaw may be moved toward or away from said fixed jaw, a rack on said shank, a gear turnably mount ed said body in mesh'fwith said rackia swingable handle "fulerumed in said body about the axis of said gear'to swing toward or away from said fixed handle, and means for locking said move the jaw shank 6 to the left in the guideway' I, and the jaw 3 will be moved correspondingly,

away from the jaw 2, a sufiicient distance to receive the work between said jaws. The jaws 2 and 3 are then slipped over the wora ueaas a nut o'r other object, and the handle 5 isswung on its'fulcrum ll] toward the handle 4, hereupon the gear 9 is turned by the handle 5 elockw'is'e fFigl) so that said gear, "inrmesh with the rack 8 will move the jaw shank 6 to the right inthe guideway T, and the jaw 3 will be moved corres'n'ondin'gly toward the jaw 2-, until said jaws grip the work firmly therebetween. "Ijhe grip of the jaws 2 and 3' upon the work tendsjto swing the jaw 3 bakwardl-y and the jaw shank 6 upwardly from the forward lower eorners'ss 6f the guideway 7, which action of the jaw "3 caii'ses the lower edges of said shank to bind against said torw ard lower c'orrier's33 of said guideway and the beveled sides 12 of said shank 6 to wedge atthe rear end bfjthe shank against the beveled inner sides f3 of'the gmaewa'y l, as indicated at M "in Fig. 1, which binding and weagifig aetionof said shank locks the .'jaws 2 and 3 positively dpoh the work, so that said jaws will hold onto the work, i'f the handles d and E are released, "until the handle 5 is :s'w'ung' away from the handle 4 to movethe j'aw 3 away from the jaw], throughthe medium of the'ge'ar "9 and rack 8.

The arrangement of the shank 6 and guideway 7 at an-angm of 95 degreesassists the wedging action of the rearend portion or the shank 6 in the giiideway 1 for locking the "jaws 2 and 3 ripped u'po'n the work. g I

The knurled side faces 14 and [5 of the jaw shank and the guideway cause said faces toenageeach other with considerable frictiomwhen wedged together and assist materiaily in looking the jaws? and '3 'upon the werk. I

"By means of the bin 31 "the latch may be moved 'rear'wardly in the handle 5 against the tension of the spring '28 and against the magn'etisrn or the latch 25, and the teeth =28 of said latch withdrawn from between the teeth 21 of the gear 9, to unlock said 'g'ear fromthe fhandle 5,"s 'o that the jaw '3 ma te'movee away fromor towardthe jaw 2 independently of the handle 5, the gear 8 being turned freely by the rack 8 as the j aw3is moved as aforesaid. I do "not limit my invention to the exact construction disclosed herein, since various changes may be'madetherein without departing from the spirit 'of the invention. r

The inner edges of the guideway 1 are knurled, as indicated at 35, and the inner edgesof the shank t are knurled, as indicated at 36, forengag'ing the knlirled edges of the guideway to handle and said gear together to enable said handle to turn said gear, said locking means combrisin'ga'rnagnetic latch slidably mounted in said swingablehandle to draw itself into locking engagernent with the teeth of said gear.

'piier wrench comprising a body formed with a fixedjaw, aguideway and aimed-handle,

a inevable Ljaw formed with a shank steamy said fixed haiidle, and means for locking said handle and said gear together 'to enable said handle to turn sai'd gear, the "sides of said jaw shank and said guideway being beveled and knurled so that saidshank will bindin said-guideway when saidjaws gribanobject. I

3. A plier wrench comprising a body termed with a fixed jaw, a guideway and a fixedhandle, a movable jaw forr'ned with a shank slidably mounted in said guideway so that said movable jaw may be moved toward or away from said fixed jaw, a 'rak bn said shank, a gea turn'ably mounted in said "body in mesh with said rack, a swingable hand-1e fulcrumed in said body about the axis "0 f said gear to swing "toward or away from said axed handle, a latch comprising a permanent magnet formed with a-pair 0f teeth and "s dably 'n-ieiinted in said swingable handle whe "by the lateh will draw itself toward said gear and teeth "into mesh with the teeth or said gear.

4. A plier wrench as claimed in dag-m 3 ineluding a spring meunted said swingable handle for urging said latch into engagement-with said gear.

5 A plier Wrench corneri'sing a body {formed with a fixed jaw, a"gnidew'ayand afixed-handle,

a "movable jaw formed with a shank *slidabl-y mountedin said gti'ideway so that said movable jaw may fb'e ihoved toward or away from said fixed jaw, said andsaid guideway :being arranged "at an obtuse angle of substantially -95,

degrees to 'the gripping "faces of said jaws for wardly'o'f the gripping face-0T said movable-jaw, and the sides of said shank and-saidguidewa-y being kniirled and converged outwardly for locking said jaws uponthe work, when said jawssare mdve'd together upen the work a"rack onsaid shank, a-gear turnablymountedin saidbodyin mesh with said rack, and a'swingable handle fulc'rurned in said body about the axis of said.

gear to swing toward "or away from said -fixed handle, and means forJooking'said handle and said gear together to enablesaid h'andleto'tufn saidgear. V r V MILTON 

